Plastic Surgery up in 2010

2009 may have seen a bit of a plunge in plastic surgery procedures, but 2010 saw a serious comeback in a number of different procedures, according to the newest stats published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Here are some of the most popular surgical procedures that rose in 2010:

• Breast augmentation procedures were up 2% in 2010 compared to 2009

• Breast lifts (Mastopexy) went up 3% in 2010 compared to 2009

• Breast reduction in men were up 6% in 2010 compared to the year before

• Buttocks lift (we’ve written about this) were up 5% in 2010

• Eyelid surgery (Blepharoplasty) was up 3% in 2010

Some of the most popular minimally-invasive procedures in 2010 were:

• Botox/Dysport treatments were up 12% in 2010 with over 5.3 million people having this procedure

• Intense Pulse Light treatment was up 7% in 2010

• Laser hair removal was up 5% in 2010

According to ASPS President, Michael McGuire, MD. “The current economic climate will likely not have an impact on long-term growth. The largest contributor to the increase in procedures over the past decade has been the advent of injectable wrinkle fighters and other minimally-invasive procedures.”

“It would seem, as innovations in cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures increase, surgery will continue to decrease,” added Dr. McGuire. “However, as the economy rebounds, more patients and Boomers will continue to seek surgical body contouring procedures (liposuction, tummy tuck), eyelid surgery and breast augmentations. In fact, breast augmentations are up 36 percent since 2000. Silicone implants are now used in 50 percent of all breast augmentations.”

As more and more people continue to get both surgery and injections, the technology and healing time will continue to improve. I’m excited to see the evolution thus far and even more excited to see where we go in the future.

Questions about these procedures or any others? Please let me know!

Schedule your consultation today!
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook

Who is getting plastic surgery?

Before Face, Neck and Browlift

After Face, Neck and Browlift

Those getting plastic surgery are not who you think they are. They’re not doing it for the reasons you might think. Since 2000, the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States has increased by almost 50% percent.

There were almost 10 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the United States in 2009, as reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). Surgical procedures accounted for 15% of the total with nonsurgical procedures making up 85% of the total.

The top five cosmetic surgical procedures in 2009 were:

• Breast augmentation (311,957 procedures)
• Liposuction (283,735procedures)
• Eyelid surgery (149,943 procedures)
• Rhinoplasty (138,258 procedures)
• Abdominoplasty (127,923 procedures).

Women had over 9 million cosmetic procedures, over 90% percent of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures for women decreased over 3 percent from 2008, likely due to the poor economy.

The top five surgical procedures for women were:

• Breast augmentation
• Liposuction
• Eyelid surgery
• Abdominoplasty
• Breast reduction

Men had over 900,000 cosmetic procedures, over 9 percent of the total. The number of cosmetic procedures for men actually increased over 8 percent from 2008.

The top five surgical procedures for men were:

• Liposuction
• Rhinoplasty
• Eyelid surgery
• Breast reduction to treat enlarged male breasts
• Hair transplantation

So, what are some of the reasons why? Here are excerpts from some emails I have received from patients:
——————————————————————————————————–
“I’ve had 2 kids and I breastfed them both. I’ve been dieting, I go to the gym, and have even been using a personal trainer to tighten my abs. I just can’t get rid of the “baby fat” across my tummy and my breasts are too saggy. Help!”

The number of “mommy makeovers” is increasing: in this day and age, women are giving birth later, returning to their careers sooner, and have busier schedules than ever before. Many are finding cosmetic plastic surgery to be the answer to returning to a pre-pregnancy shape they are comfortable with. The “mommy makeover” procedures include breast augmentation, tummy tuck and breast lift. In fact, for the first time, breast augmentation has become the most popular plastic surgical procedure, followed by nose reshaping.
——————————————————————————————————–

“I’m 45 years old and was let go 6 months ago by my accounting firm. I’ve been going to job interviews but I am competing with men 10 years younger. Do you think a facelift will help?”

The reality is that our workplace society favors a more youthful look – those who look younger and fitter are generally more highly paid, etc etc

Baby boomers (44 – 61 years of age): as a group they are experiencing the loss of skin elasticity with age, and so the number of body lifting procedures, targeting the thighs, lower body, breasts, upper arms, and face, has increased significantly.

In the past year, men have typically looked to revitalize their aging faces with injectable fillers. In contrast to these minimally invasive procedures, they were also looking to tone their bodies with surgery, including tummy tucks, thigh lifts, and breast reduction procedures.

——————————————————————————————————–

Isn’t it vain to have plastic surgery?

The Latin origin of the word, “vanity” is vanus, meaning, “empty, without substance.” This does not apply to most people seeking plastic surgery. The typical patient either wants to refresh their appearance, to look as they did in years past, or to enhance their body to a state that corresponds to their image of themselves. An increase in self-esteem occurs, and rarely crosses the line into an excessive feeling of attractiveness or of one’s abilities. The increased self-confidence is profound and has many positive repercussions.

——————————————————————————————————–

Isn’t plastic surgery for the rich?

No longer! The relative cost of plastic surgery has decreased and has become available to a much larger segment of the population. There are financing plans available much like those for buying automobiles or appliances. Even some managed care insurance plans offer cosmetic surgery to their participants in a limited fashion. 48% of Americans with an income under $25K approve of plastic surgery according to the survey and would have a procedure done.

——————————————————————————————————–

How can people afford it?

Although some patients save up the entire cost of their plastic surgery, many are turning to finance companies that will lend them the money, often at reasonable rates. Financing provides the opportunity to have the surgery without having to wait — for many patients, the plastic surgery loan is just another bill, a way to build up frequent-flier miles if they put it on a credit card, or another check to write once a month.

My patients have included teachers, truck drivers, retirees, ranchers, and school-bus drivers.

Questions?

Schedule your consultation today!
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook

The Mommy Makeover

In our last post, we talked about some of the internal effects childbirth can have on a body by introducing you to a procedure called vaginoplasty, or more commonly known as vaginal rejuvenation.  Today, I would like to talk about something I do called the mommy makeover. The mommy makeover consists of getting multiple procedures done in one shot, meaning only one recovery period, a noticeable physical change, and a better self esteem and outlook for many women.

Mommy Makeovers can involve any number of procedures, from simple lip augmentations to full body transformations.  The most common combination is a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck, but other procedures include buttock lifts, liposuction, and breast reduction.

Most women go back to work in two weeks.  The first few days are difficult, although you can’t just lie in bed.  By the end of the first week, most people feel good enough to be taken out shopping or to a movie, etc.  Between the first and second week, most people are going a little stir crazy and even go into work for a few hours.  With the addition of acupuncture and reflexology, we’ve seen a decrease in the recovery time.

One of the things my wife has always said is that your skin texture changes after you have a child. For too long, women have just “put up” with the changes without actually realizing there are things that can be done for the everyday mother. These procedures can have a huge effect on how she feels about herself on a daily basis.

Here is a short video Channel 4 did on the Mommy Makeover:

Being happy with how you look and who you are is one of the most important things in life. I cannot emphasize that enough.  If there is something that can physically be altered to change your emotional state, please give our office a call to at least have a conversation about it. Being a mother is hard enough without you being hard on yourself!

Schedule your consultation today!
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook

Baby Got Back

Many patients often ask me what the most popular plastic surgery is that I do. I have to say that breast augmentation has topped the ranks for the past two years as far as surgical procedures go. However, an area that I’m doing more and more of these days, as well as surgeons throughout the country, is not the breast, but rather, the butt.

These procedures are gaining such popularity that the Wall Street Journal Online edition recently wrote an article mentioning this fact.

Two surgeries are surging in popularity. Buttock lifts, which involve reshaping of the bottom, increased 25% to 3,024 procedures, and buttock augmentations increased 37%, to 4,996.

Many Americans have embarked on having a weight loss program be an active part of their lives. It’s exciting for me to work with patients who are so passionate about changing their lifestyles…not because they want a perfect body, but because they want to be healthier. When patients undergo massive weight loss, side effects do occur which is why we do procedures such as abdominoplasties, thigh lifts, arm lifts, and buttock lifts to help get everything back in place. And the results are life changing for my patients.

I think it’s easy for people who don’t understand plastic surgery to judge it. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye. This is why we have “The Humanity Behind The Vanity” program. I’m going to get into that more next week.

In the meantime, buttocks lifts and implants are an increasingly popular surgery and one that many aren’t aware is offered. This can be an excellent choice for those wishing to enhance what they currently have, or shape back up as a result of weight-loss.

Do you have questions about any of these procedures? Sound of now, or call me to sit down and talk about it.

Schedule your consultation today!
Follow us on Twitter
Join us on Facebook

New Year; New Weight Loss and Then What?

Plastic surgery is the perfect reward for reaching weight loss goals

It seems as though every year in January and February we are bombarded with weight loss products and programs, each promising to help people lose weight quickly. According to our channel 4 local news station the hottest items are drugs that help patients to lose large amounts of weight (ten to twenty percent of their body weight).  These drugs are in the experimental stage and only time will tell their effectiveness and whether or not the inevitable side effects are acceptable.

Dr Ronel  is concerned that advertisements for weight loss do not address what may happen to the skin.  Most patients after significant weight loss will have loose skin on their face, arms, abdomen, lower back, chest, and legs. Those who are undergoing treatment, either surgically or with drugs, to lose weight need to plan for correction of the loose skin through plastic surgery.  The excess skin is not just unsightly; it can cause painful and itchy rashes and skin infections.  Dr Ronel offers procedures specifically for patients after weight loss, such as abdominoplasty, breast lift, buttock lift, thigh lift, and facelift.  While these may seem like routine procedures, it is important to seek an experienced plastic surgeon like Dr Ronel who will take into consideration the many nutritional and health aspects that are unique to patients who have lost a large amount of weight.  There can be an increased risk of complications if these patients are not monitored carefully. Dr Ronel counsels patients to help them understand which procedures he recommends and which procedures can be performed safely together.

After a successful weight loss, recontouring and lifting the loose skin is a very powerful boost to the confidence and self esteem the patients deserve after so much hard work!

Here are some relevant youtube videos from Dr. Ronel’s radio show, The Humanity Behind the Vanity.

Schedule your consultation with Dr Ronel

Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter.

Creating youthful curves with a butt lift

Most women never expected that with time and aging that they would lose volume in their buttocks.  Dr Ronel understands that the loss of curves in the buttock can leave a patient with a square and box like figure. “Patients tell me that their clothes never fit correctly,” says Dr Ronel, “and that’s because there is a loss of definition between the upper leg and their buttock.”  Dr Ronel explains that the buttocks usually fall down and lateral, and that the buttock lift primarily cuts away the loose skin and rotates the buttock mounds inwards, where they were before.  The incision is made from the top of the buttock crease and moves outwards in a gentle curve, like the wings of a seagull in flight.  In many cases liposuction is also performed to achieve a more defined crease underneath the butt – and sometimes, an extra incision is made there if there is a significant amount of excess skin.  “As for fat transfer, aka the Brazilian butt lift,” says Dr Ronel, “I am ambivalent.  There are patients who need more volume in their buttocks, but transferred fat does not last a long time using the current fat transfer technology.   I am waiting to see what happens with the development of fat stem cells.” Dr. Ronel is also not a fan of buttock implants because the complication rate is too high with the current implants and techniques used to insert them.  Instead, he folds the patients’ own buttock fat on itself to create a naturally augmented buttock mound.  Patients who have undergone massive weight loss have the most extreme form of sagging, and often require more than one stage of surgery.  “Many of my patients tell me that after this procedure their friends think that they look great and must have lost weight” says Dr Ronel “no one suspects that they had a butt lift”.

 

Schedule your consultation with Dr Ronel

Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter